Chapter 45: A World Without Boundaries

Yuan Shaolin quietly slipped away with Long Yin, while Sasaki deliberately let the Sasaki family's search drama escalate, stirring up enough commotion that several major powers became vigilant. Only then did Sasaki pretend to realize the need for discretion, feigning calmness in meetings with various influential figures. Yet, no matter how composed he acted, the others could always discern from subtle cues that they had failed to capture the two infiltrators.

The Sasaki family's methods quickly left their mark; within a short time, the major powers experienced firsthand that even they could not catch the intruders. This prompted them to raise their defenses. When Sasaki received these updates from his subordinates, he drank a large cup of tea in satisfaction—not only to make the others taste the same unease, but also to lay the groundwork for future conflict, for he and that rising power were destined to be rivals.

That night, Long Yin kept his appointment at Bai Ze’s estate, training silently for an hour before leaving. Bai Ze frowned, sensing something amiss yet unable to pinpoint the cause, and logged off in irritation.

After departing from Bai Ze’s estate, Long Yin adopted his second identity. Planning to meet Sasaki later that night, he knew he could not do so in public; a property was necessary. The problem was, he was penniless. Long Yin thought for a moment, then walked to the Texas Card Master Guild. Cloaked head to toe, he did not attract much attention as this attire was common. He chose a seat in the corner of the lounge, opened his personal interface, and accessed the Card Master Guild system. As expected, he found a list of bounty-questions ranked by reward amount. His fingers twitched, eyes burning with anticipation; with the mastery from his previous life and the insights from his recent breakthroughs, these questions were mere minutes’ work for him.

He opened the first question and chuckled—these coins would be his in no time. As he progressed, he stopped checking the reward amounts, rapidly answering one question after another. Several long-standing, unresolved guild questions were solved that day. At first, no one noticed, but as the bounty board refreshed every five minutes, attention was drawn. What shocked everyone most was that those stubborn, chronic puzzles, usually untouched, were answered by the same person within mere minutes.

Lian Qiao logged in as usual, checking if anyone had answered his posted questions. After many disappointments, he did not expect much, merely glancing out of habit—only to be stunned. He rubbed his eyes repeatedly: his question had been answered! Delighted, he quickly read the concise, incisive answer. Without even needing to verify it, he knew it would work. Excited, he confirmed payment and even added extra bounty to show his satisfaction.

“I’m a Level Six Card Master, yet a few brief lines from this person opened my mind…” Lian Qiao trembled. He’d encountered a master, possibly a hall-level Card Master. He wondered why such a master would bother answering questions for fun, but that was not his concern. He only wanted to know if the master was still online. Checking the answer’s timestamp—twenty minutes ago—and the nickname, Lian Qiao was speechless: “Federation Unrest?” What was the master trying to say? Was such blatant provocation of the Federation wise?

Though Lian Qiao grumbled about Long Yin’s nickname, he quickly searched its activity feed. He was astounded—the master was sweeping the bounty board! Shocked, he blushed with excitement. Since the master answered based on reward amount, as long as he could afford it, he could converse directly with a hall-level Card Master. Thrilled, Lian Qiao teleported to the Lian State Card Master Guild. Although he didn’t know which state the master was answering from, that didn’t hinder him from interacting. Entering the guild, he noticed it was unusually crowded today. He found an empty seat and plunged into tense questioning.

Many like Lian Qiao appeared across various state networks, flocking to the Card Master Guilds. As news spread, Card Masters across the Federation network became fixated: a hall-level Card Master was publicly answering questions—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No one wanted to miss it. “Federation Unrest” quickly became a household name among Card Masters. His extraordinary skill, concise answers, and clever guiding counter-questions sparked enlightenment in those stuck at bottlenecks. Though the fees were steep, none questioned their value; nobody believed such a master would be so vulgar as to chase coins, preferring instead to think he was simply bored—a notion reinforced by the nickname “Unrest.”

In fact, “Federation Unrest” was very much a commoner. To be honest, Long Yin was hardly a benevolent soul. He never acted without benefit—though not always so calculating, the pressures of life had pushed him closer to the crowd of profit-seekers, ever farther from lofty ideals. Sighing deeply, Long Yin continued to answer questions, delighted at how much better things were than he’d expected. The Federation network was indeed a gold mine. This risk-free business was simply too wonderful.

Long Yin sat for four straight hours. How many questions had he answered? No one knew. Some chose to share their answers, others kept them private; not everyone was willing to publish. Still, every Card Master on the network knew of the master’s existence. In those four hours alone, he had swept up billions upon billions of coins.

His ability to rake in wealth rivaled even the best information brokers. Seeing the staggering numbers, Long Yin was dazzled by all the zeros. Though Federation coins could be exchanged one-to-one, converting them to real currency yielded only eighty percent. Still, even at eighty percent, his billions of coins were worth eighty trillion Xuan Crystals.

Over the past three years, Long Yin had generated a net profit of only ten billion Xuan Crystals. Now, in four hours, he had amassed eighty trillion coins, catapulting him to the top of the Federation network’s wealth rankings. He was stunned—had everyone gone mad?

Unbeknownst to him, in the last two hours, the most interesting questions had come from senior Card Masters across various state guilds—some even Level Seven. These guild-trained experts all had their own vaults. Once they learned of a master so generous and enlightening, they emptied their vaults without hesitation, eager to overcome their obstacles. In such an atmosphere, everyone wanted to converse with the master, driving the bounty ever higher. Each spent only a few hundred trillion coins, but how many Card Masters were there across the Seven Continents?

“I still underestimated the spending power of Card Masters!” Long Yin shook his head. Tonight’s windfall owed much to coincidence—many had been drained dry. Such opportunities were rare, but with eighty trillion Xuan Crystals in hand, Long Yin resolved to pursue more risk-free ventures like this.

“Federation Unrest” was highlighted atop the Federation network’s celebrity forum that night—a mysterious Card Master who swept up billions in four hours, ascending to the wealth ranking’s summit.

With his newfound fortune, Long Yin entered the Federation Network Administration Bureau, shrouded in a black cloak. The Texas Network Domain Bureau Chief raised an eyebrow, but was left speechless as Long Yin proceeded to buy five properties in succession. Each cost ten trillion Xuan Crystals, offering various commercial advantages, though few could afford such extravagance—most ignored virtual real estate despite its convenience. Yet Long Yin dropped fifty trillion Xuan Crystals at once. Even more baffling, he applied for reconstruction. The fees were steep, especially for demolishing and rebuilding virtual properties, and even more so for reconstructing all five together. The chief administrator waved his hand, granting permission for thirty trillion Xuan Crystals.

Having secured his rights, Long Yin handed over eighty trillion Xuan Crystals with a smile, aware that the powerful AI was jealous. Instantly, he vanished from the wealth ranking, leaving no trace.

At the same time, a complex emblazoned with the words “No Cards Under Heaven” was razed and rebuilt in the most bustling part of Texas’s network domain. Originally five separate properties, they were now merged into one grand complex. Yet, the majestic architecture paled in comparison to the striking four characters soaring atop it.

Those words were bold and imposing; without doubt, this building would become a new landmark in the Texas network domain.